series.
The season of cherry blossoms ended with the blossoming of our love.
The summer passed and our bond went on to become stronger.
Then came the season of fall.
Our lives are just like these seasons.
We blossom during the spring, bear the summer together, then fall apart in the fall and finally
unite again for warmth during the cold winter evenings.
That is how the cycle goes.
It has been five months since the night we kissed, since the night I poured my heart out to her.
It felt good. I felt safe for the first time in years.
Kumi had been very supportive.
Since then, from the darkest nights to the shiniest mornings of my life, she had been there.
My life had become a ballad of a poet.
I had never been so alive before.
There were times I broke down again, but she would lift me up.
Suddenly she was right beside Adam.
Both were my god.
Things were going well.
Just after mid terms ended, Autumn embraced us.
Maple leaves, brown weather, a hint of coolness in the air that would send chills down your neck made its way towards us.
I could never forget that Autumn we spent together, my last Autumn.
At school, she would often bring lunch for me and we would eat it at the student council's terrace.
My fears for heights still existed,a little.
After the busy school schedule ended, the Halloween was upon us.
We five-Yuto, Hayate, Hana, Kumi and me decided to go away camping.
Yes, Kumi was part of our group too now.
The camping was my idea since I lived in the country side and have had some experience.
I wrote a text and forwarded it to all of them.
"Meet me at the Katsura's coffee shop at 5."
It turned out, Kumi was on the same level of energy as Hana, so whenever they were together they behaved like two excited electrons racing it out as to which one will cross the energy gap first.
It was maddening, but it was fun.
Kumi would swear on me later that she behaved such only in front of Hana and that she wasn't really as wild as her.
Somehow I doubted this.
But then, I would always see a different side of her when she was with me.
The side I could not stop loving.
Katsura coffee shop was a cute little place.
Painted all over with shades of yellow and white, it reeked of happiness and well-roasted coffee.
The owner was a dear old lady who must have been around in her fifties.
She looked more like a nanny who's children would be all fat and cute, considering the number of treats she would give them, thus we called her Nanny.
She would wear an apron all day, moving around with a stick, smiling that heavenly smile at all of its customers.
She knew I died for those strawberry flavoured muffins she made and would always pack an extra one for me (with a wink) because I was her regular customer.
Kumi would scowl when she did that.
"It's not really good for your health you know." She would say, and I would smile it away.
It was a happy time.
I reached first.
No one else was there yet.
Our so-called Nanny smiled at me as soon as I entered the shop.
She would never speak a word to me, we had conversations through our smile.
I sat, at the corner most table of the place, the table that would take me to the valley of solitude.
The last time I sat here was when Kumi and I met for the first time, the night I ran away.
I was woken up from the illusions of my dream by Yuto.
He was the first one to come.
"Dude, what's that intoxicating smell?" He asked while making that horrible orgasmic face of his.
"Shut up, don't do that in a public place," I said, embarrassed by his gesture.
"It's a bakery shop, of course, it smells heavenly."
"But that smell man, I got to ask Nanny what she had been cooking!" He said as he ran away to the counter to find Nanny.
I sighed.
Soon the others arrived, together.
Hayate and Hana deep in conversation, Kumi smiling and laughing at both of them.
Why were my friends circle a joke?
I smiled too as soon as I saw her.
She was wearing a purple- pastel coloured skirt with a matching high neck sweater
I bought it for her birthday two months ago.
She came smiling, her extra large teeth sparkling like a diamond as she came and sat beside me.
I hugged her.
Hayate and Hana continued the discussion they were having, pretending to ignore us as they sat in front.
Yuto meanwhile was still talking to the Nanny.
I interrupted them.
"Are you guys done? Because my brain could do with some coffee."
"Sure who's paying?" Hayate asked.
"YOU!" Hana, Kumi and I said this together, pointing a finger towards Hayate.
"Okay bitches, I'm out of here." He said hurriedly as he went to join Yuto at the counter.
We sighed.
"So love birds, what's the plan for the holidays?" Hana asked, winking.
"I was thinking, we should go away camping.
Somewhere near Mt.Fuji, you know. I know of a decent place.
It would be a perfect fit." I said.
"Oh my god Rin! This is the like the most perfect idea ever! I'm in!" said Hana,jumping up and down.
We laughed.
"What did we guys miss?" Yuto asked curiously, munching a muffin as they came and sat beside Hana.
"Rin just suggested that we should go on a camping trip for holidays somewhere near Fuji-san!" Hana said before I could even open my mouth.
"Camping in this season? Are you crazy? It will be freezing down there.Besides I have breathing issues." Yuto said,looking scared.
We all sighed.
"You always have some issues don't you?" Hana scowled.
"He's coming don't you guys worry, I'll drag him out of his house and bring him to the train station," Hana said.
Yuto would never decline Hana for anything.
We grinned.
"It's the best time of the year for camping, the place is isolated and clean. You guys would love it." I said.
"I'm not coming, you guys can go. I have lots of work to do." Hayate started.
"Someone slap this guy for me?" I said as Kumi got up to give him one.
"I planned all this, we are all gonna work part-time for two weeks and earn enough to go on this trip," I said.
" I know some places we could find jobs, You guys in?" I asked.
"Sure, I'm gonna ask Nanny if I could be her assistant!" Yuto said, his eyes shining as he went off again to the counter.
"He's probably gonna eat all the muffins she makes," Kumi said.
We all approved.
Hayate and I decided to work on a video game rental store,
Hana agreed to work for a teacher teaching Kabuki dance form to middle school kids and Kumi decided to work in the public library near her house in Kichijoji district.
It was all going well.
For me, a video game rental store was a perfect part-time job as I knew all about them.
Video games, just like owl city's music was an important part of my life.
I have been playing them since the age of 3.
The shopkeeper was a very lazy, middle-aged fluffy man with baldness taking over his head.
He was a man short of patience and was surprisingly very pleased to find out that I didn't need any instructions about handling the store.
Less work for him kept him happy.
"You're a good lad, work hard like this and you'll be at my position." He would say, patting my head as he would take a lunch break every thirty minutes or so for eating junk.
No wonder Hayate swore that he became twice as fluffy till the time we quit.
Hayate, on the other hand, was having a hard time working there.
He wouldn't know which games to put on the best selling columns, or classify them according to their genres and platforms.
He would get confused and I was often forced to do his work as well when the shopkeeper was not watching.
I didn't mind though. I could forever work in a videogame store.
We would work from 10 in the morning to 8 in the evening.
Kumi would often come during the lunch hours and we three would go together.
I would drop her at her home every night because that was the only time we got to spend alone.
We slept like logs after coming home.
Things were going well.
I was finally learning to let go of the past and embracing the present, or maybe I already had.
I still had nightmares every now and then, but they were not frequent, and I wasn't scared anymore.
I had my sunshine to keep me away from all sorts of darkness.
Finally after two weeks of hard work, came the day we were all waiting for.
We were going to see Mount Fuji from up close.
God, how much I had missed it.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Life is a cherry blossom tree.( Chapter 7,part 1)
The season of cherry blossoms ended with the blossoming of our love.
The summer passed and our bond went on to become stronger.
Then came the season of fall.
Our lives are just like these seasons.
We blossom during the spring, bear the summer together, then fall apart in the fall and finally
unite again for warmth during the cold winter evenings.
That is how the cycle goes.
It has been five months since the night we kissed, since the night I poured my heart out to her.
It felt good. I felt safe for the first time in years.
Kumi had been very supportive.
Since then, from the darkest nights to the shiniest mornings of my life, she had been there.
My life had become a ballad of a poet.
I had never been so alive before.
There were times I broke down again, but she would lift me up.
Suddenly she was right beside Adam.
Both were my god.
Things were going well.
Just after mid terms ended, Autumn embraced us.
Maple leaves, brown weather, a hint of coolness in the air that would send chills down your neck made its way towards us.
I could never forget that Autumn we spent together, my last Autumn.
At school, she would often bring lunch for me and we would eat it at the student council's terrace.
My fears for heights still existed,a little.
After the busy school schedule ended, the Halloween was upon us.
We five-Yuto, Hayate, Hana, Kumi and me decided to go away camping.
Yes, Kumi was part of our group too now.
The camping was my idea since I lived in the country side and have had some experience.
I wrote a text and forwarded it to all of them.
"Meet me at the Katsura's coffee shop at 5."
It turned out, Kumi was on the same level of energy as Hana, so whenever they were together they behaved like two excited electrons racing it out as to which one will cross the energy gap first.
It was maddening, but it was fun.
Kumi would swear on me later that she behaved such only in front of Hana and that she wasn't really as wild as her.
Somehow I doubted this.
But then, I would always see a different side of her when she was with me.
The side I could not stop loving.
Katsura coffee shop was a cute little place.
Painted all over with shades of yellow and white, it reeked of happiness and well-roasted coffee.
The owner was a dear old lady who must have been around in her fifties.
She looked more like a nanny who's children would be all fat and cute, considering the number of treats she would give them, thus we called her Nanny.
She would wear an apron all day, moving around with a stick, smiling that heavenly smile at all of its customers.
She knew I died for those strawberry flavoured muffins she made and would always pack an extra one for me (with a wink) because I was her regular customer.
Kumi would scowl when she did that.
"It's not really good for your health you know." She would say, and I would smile it away.
It was a happy time.
I reached first.
No one else was there yet.
Our so-called Nanny smiled at me as soon as I entered the shop.
She would never speak a word to me, we had conversations through our smile.
I sat, at the corner most table of the place, the table that would take me to the valley of solitude.
The last time I sat here was when Kumi and I met for the first time, the night I ran away.
I was woken up from the illusions of my dream by Yuto.
He was the first one to come.
"Dude, what's that intoxicating smell?" He asked while making that horrible orgasmic face of his.
"Shut up, don't do that in a public place," I said, embarrassed by his gesture.
"It's a bakery shop, of course, it smells heavenly."
"But that smell man, I got to ask Nanny what she had been cooking!" He said as he ran away to the counter to find Nanny.
I sighed.
Soon the others arrived, together.
Hayate and Hana deep in conversation, Kumi smiling and laughing at both of them.
Why were my friends circle a joke?
I smiled too as soon as I saw her.
She was wearing a purple- pastel coloured skirt with a matching high neck sweater
I bought it for her birthday two months ago.
She came smiling, her extra large teeth sparkling like a diamond as she came and sat beside me.
I hugged her.
Hayate and Hana continued the discussion they were having, pretending to ignore us as they sat in front.
Yuto meanwhile was still talking to the Nanny.
I interrupted them.
"Are you guys done? Because my brain could do with some coffee."
"Sure who's paying?" Hayate asked.
"YOU!" Hana, Kumi and I said this together, pointing a finger towards Hayate.
"Okay bitches, I'm out of here." He said hurriedly as he went to join Yuto at the counter.
We sighed.
"So love birds, what's the plan for the holidays?" Hana asked, winking.
"I was thinking, we should go away camping.
Somewhere near Mt.Fuji, you know. I know of a decent place.
It would be a perfect fit." I said.
"Oh my god Rin! This is the like the most perfect idea ever! I'm in!" said Hana,jumping up and down.
We laughed.
"What did we guys miss?" Yuto asked curiously, munching a muffin as they came and sat beside Hana.
"Rin just suggested that we should go on a camping trip for holidays somewhere near Fuji-san!" Hana said before I could even open my mouth.
"Camping in this season? Are you crazy? It will be freezing down there.Besides I have breathing issues." Yuto said,looking scared.
We all sighed.
"You always have some issues don't you?" Hana scowled.
"He's coming don't you guys worry, I'll drag him out of his house and bring him to the train station," Hana said.
Yuto would never decline Hana for anything.
We grinned.
"It's the best time of the year for camping, the place is isolated and clean. You guys would love it." I said.
"I'm not coming, you guys can go. I have lots of work to do." Hayate started.
"Someone slap this guy for me?" I said as Kumi got up to give him one.
"I planned all this, we are all gonna work part-time for two weeks and earn enough to go on this trip," I said.
" I know some places we could find jobs, You guys in?" I asked.
"Sure, I'm gonna ask Nanny if I could be her assistant!" Yuto said, his eyes shining as he went off again to the counter.
"He's probably gonna eat all the muffins she makes," Kumi said.
We all approved.
Hayate and I decided to work on a video game rental store,
Hana agreed to work for a teacher teaching Kabuki dance form to middle school kids and Kumi decided to work in the public library near her house in Kichijoji district.
It was all going well.
For me, a video game rental store was a perfect part-time job as I knew all about them.
Video games, just like owl city's music was an important part of my life.
I have been playing them since the age of 3.
The shopkeeper was a very lazy, middle-aged fluffy man with baldness taking over his head.
He was a man short of patience and was surprisingly very pleased to find out that I didn't need any instructions about handling the store.
Less work for him kept him happy.
"You're a good lad, work hard like this and you'll be at my position." He would say, patting my head as he would take a lunch break every thirty minutes or so for eating junk.
No wonder Hayate swore that he became twice as fluffy till the time we quit.
Hayate, on the other hand, was having a hard time working there.
He wouldn't know which games to put on the best selling columns, or classify them according to their genres and platforms.
He would get confused and I was often forced to do his work as well when the shopkeeper was not watching.
I didn't mind though. I could forever work in a videogame store.
We would work from 10 in the morning to 8 in the evening.
Kumi would often come during the lunch hours and we three would go together.
I would drop her at her home every night because that was the only time we got to spend alone.
We slept like logs after coming home.
Things were going well.
I was finally learning to let go of the past and embracing the present, or maybe I already had.
I still had nightmares every now and then, but they were not frequent, and I wasn't scared anymore.
I had my sunshine to keep me away from all sorts of darkness.
Finally after two weeks of hard work, came the day we were all waiting for.
We were going to see Mount Fuji from up close.
God, how much I had missed it.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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